Weekend Trip: Marrakech, Morocco, Day 1

We've been trying to go to Morocco for years... we bought Spain and Morocco Guide Books a long time ago and just remembered that we came close to going there in 2006 and 2009... but it just didn't feel like the right time. Finally the stars aligned, and our family got to experience it together! I have wanted to return to (and bring my family to) an Islamic country since my 5-month Semester abroad in 1997, when I studied Islam and Arabic Civilization in Jerusalem, Jordan and Egypt. I will always remember the first time I heard the Call to Prayer from the minaret in Jerusalem - I was a jet-lagged 19-year-old, woken unwelcomely in the dark early morning by that foreign loudness and I was extremely irritated to not be able to go back to sleep. I grumpily rolled out of bed and began my habitual morning prayer, heart hardened against what I perceived to be the pagan praying of the city outside. Suddenly, I received a very clear message - I would say it's the only time I've been quite clearly rebuked by God. Into my mind came the sentence, "THOSE ARE ALSO MY CHILDREN, AND THEY ARE PRAYING TO ME THE SAME AS YOU ARE." I was startled and humbled... and thankfully, changed. 

Getting there:

Sophie's packing list

Erik leading the troops in wall sits while we waited to board

Holding hands on the way to the plane

The stairs are so exciting for some reason!

Erik and the girls can't stop playing Scrabble lately. We noticed he was wearing an appropriate shirt for his genius play

We arrived in Marrakech and took a taxi to the hotel - our concierge Pierre (with whom I'd been emailing to set up our itinerary) met us at the door, and when we mentioned we were hungry he gave a wink and said something in French to the staff and they sprang into action... while we put our suitcases away they set this table for us in the middle outdoor courtyard.

The hotel is tiny - a 400 year old town home re-modeled as a hotel just 10 years ago, and just steps away from the old city.

Another view of the lunch table in the courtyard, open to the sky

Stone, doing the best a 4-year-old boy can do at a red-roses, white-tablecloth table. 

There were several cozy, amazingly-decorated spaces with games out. We actually played Chess many times - Lindsay gave Stone a quick lesson about how the pieces move and then Stone actually did really well!

More fun games in an Africa-themed room, reminding us that we were on the continent of Africa!!!!

One more picture of the hotel - this is a little reading room with books in every language you can think of.

Exploring the Medina (Old City)

I wish there were a way to capture the smell the way a picture captures the sight. Herbs, incense, fresh cut wood, tanned leather, rotting vegetables, trash, baking bread, old tires, mint tea, all combined. 

I wish there were a way to capture the feeling of Sophie's small hand, so trusting in mine as I steered her close to the wall out of the way of speeding scooters, her legs marching quickly alongside mine. And Stone's cheek against my cheek with his arms wrapped around my neck. 

I wish there were a way to capture the ear-splitting, reedy blast of the snake-charmers' horns, the honking of scooters, the whirring of bikes, the cacauphony of thousands of hagglers and instrument-players and venders and hawkers and foreign-speaking tourists, and above the din, the speaker-crackle and nasal-voiced wind-up of the call to Prayer. 

I wish pictures could do justice to the visual bombardment stimulating our brains from every side. I have never taken in so many frames per second of visual data in my life. The technicolor dyes, the hammered metals, the intricate tilesa nd woods, the punched tin lantersn, the fine details covering every square inch of visible space, plus Moroccans dressed in every level of Muslim modesty, from Western glamor to faceless black shroud, and tourists from every country.

Our 5 senses were lit up to maximum capacity during our first evening in Marrakech. 

Spices piled in points

Inventively recycled tires

Our tour-guide Omar led us from our hotel into the heart of the Old City, which has been humming with activity for more than 1,000 years - it was an oasis for camel caravans resting after their treks through the Sahara.

Snake charmers

And even cuter snake charmers!

The Berbers were here before the Arabs - they still live in the Atlas Mountains and have their own language and culture. Some of them come down to Marrakech with traditional costumes and instruments to take cheesy tourist pictures like this one.

We were warned that we would have monkeys placed in our arms without asking. Stone must have been communicating permission with his "I want to hold a monkey!!!" face.

All the girls got matching henna tattoos! I have always wanted one since I saw henna artists in Amman and I copied their designs in my notebook. I love the viney floral patterns.

They improvise each time.

All the girls got hand tattoos, and Erik got a sun on his bicep. We asked Stone if he wanted something cool and boyish like a scorpion, but he declined. Later that night he kept saying in his sleep, "YES, I DO want a scorpion!!" But we never made it back.

After the main square, Omar led us through winding streets into the heart of the Souks (the markets)

And of course into a carpet shop to be served mint tea and shown a sales presentation. Apparently this is a Berber Women's Cooperative - if we had a house we might have actually been interested in buying a rug. The workmanship was amazing though, and the people lovely and not overly pressuring.

Hearing the Call to Prayer with my family in this environment stirred my heart so deeply. I hadn't realized the extent that I had carried my experience with Islamic culture in my heart and I was so happy to share it with them.

Stall after stall after stall of beautiful color and texture overload

The hand of Fatima (Mohammed's daughter) to ward off bad luck

This guy was using a lathe - Erik has always wanted to make his own Chess set so we watched him for awhile. He made a little necklace charm for each of the girls

He used his feet and hands equally dextrously

Demonstrating these amazing little puzzle boxes

We made it out of the Souks and tried to find a restaurant

Dark rooftop terrace restaurant

And back to the hotel room for a quick foot wash in my favorite bath EVER and then nighty-night, Sophie and I in a lovely King-size bed and Stone in his own single next to us; Erik and the big girls in the next room.